Chapter Text
Nami leaned over the starboard rail of the Sunny, panting and shaking and soaked in sweat. Many of the others were laid out on the grass, gasping for breath, exhausted laughter punctuating the heaving gasps, making Nami smile. She closed her eyes and leaned back, letting out a brief laugh of her own.
They’d made it.
After dumping almost all of their money onto the coating mechanic on a poverty stricken island to the east, they’d made it through a raging hurricane, deep down into shark infested waters filled with rip currents, and through a narrow opening beneath Skahto Island. They’d only just broken the surface, the bubble coat still somehow holding, though for how much longer, Nami wasn’t sure. The navigator could barely even think, now. She’d conducted the crew at every turn, countering each flash of lightning and each gust of wind that nearly capsized them, each slash of hail and sleet that tried to cut into them sideways because that’s just how hard the wind was blowing. She’d directed Jinbei’s steady hand at the helm as the others mained the sails and the rudder. It was exhausting , but it was over.
The entire island was a giant mountain -- the largest in the world, they were told. They’d surfaced in an immense cavern that served as a port for Skahto. Even now, dockers were racing to rope the Thousand Sunny in, locking her in tight to port. The crew dragged themselves upright, Zoro silently meandering his way around the crew, his manner easy but his eye keen. Luffy might be their captain, but Zoro was the pack Alpha, and he took it upon himself, as usual, to check to make absolutely sure everyone was okay. He stopped in front of Nami, his eye losing a little of its sharpness.
“Good job.” He praised, laying his hand on her head. Nami beamed at him, his scent of cold steel, clove and vanilla wrapping around her like an embrace.
She sighed. His scent often said a lot more than the swordsman would about how he felt. She knew he was happy and that he was proud of her because of the clove and vanilla. It was easy for Nami to realize that those particular notes appeared when he laughed, so it wasn’t a stretch to understand that when they appeared at any other time, it was from joy.
She didn’t need his approval. She really didn’t , but… it was nice to have it.
The dockers were all very kind, though they looked as though they’d seen better days. Rather than ask about it, the Strawhats overlooked it. If it was urgent, the people could decide to ask for help, themselves. Otherwise, it was kinder to spare the workers their pride. They all assured the pirates that their boat would be safe there, and no one had to watch the ship. The Strawhats were the first people to enter successfully through what the islanders had dubbed the Birth Canal -- the narrow tunnel that led in and out of the mountain -- in at least two years. Having spent most of their money already, Nami wasn’t too concerned about leaving the ship unprotected. Nevertheless, Jinbei opted to stay behind as a precaution. Luffy didn’t object, so no one else did, either.
A tall, gray haired man with a long beard, and kind hazel green eyes introduced himself as Alpha Seamus, the governor of the Sharma District. This way of introduction, prefacing his name with Alpha instead of literally any other honorific, made Nami uncomfortable. It was incredibly old fashioned, a relic of times that were much, much worse for omegas like herself. She knew that she wasn’t the only one who noticed. But so far, he was kind, and he led them off to a place they could stay the night.
The houses and buildings were built into the walls of the mountains like honeycombs, and colorful bioluminescent fungi spanned like a massive floor to ceiling shag carpet, providing a shocking amount of light for this underground civilization. Chopper was staring at the fungi in delighted awe, his eyes unable to settle in one spot to take in the colors reflecting off of the spaces of bare rock on the walls and ceilings. Nami had to admit to herself, it was breathtaking.
Seamus led them into a big room with a bonfire in the middle, a rudimentary kitchen, and a room off to the side with a bathroom.
“It’s not much,” Seamus sighed with a hint of shame. “I apologize. Please do your best to make yourselves comfortable. We have futons in the back of the room, and blankets and pillows in the closet, though some of you may have to share.”
“Are there any supplies we can use to cook dinner?” Sanji asked, tying an apron around his waist as he headed to the small kitchen area to inspect the stove and cabinets.
“We don’t have much in the way of food.” Seamus replied quietly. “I apologize.”
“You already apologized, old man.” Luffy cocked his head to the side and crossed his arms. “It’s not your fault.”
“We have food, Luffy.” Sanji called. “For tonight at least, we don’t need to worry. Tomorrow, we can go looking for something more.”
“I’m not sure how much you will find.” Seamus murmured. He bid them goodnight,but was halted at the door by Nami and Franky.
“You can eat with us if you like!” Franky announced with a wide grin.
“Yeah!” Sanji called over his shoulder. “It’s a chef’s duty to feed the hungry, after all.”
“The more the merrier,” Nami added, stepping towards Seamus with a disarming smile. “But in return, please tell us more about Skahto! We’ve heard a lot of interesting things, but we didn’t expect to meet someone of your status so soon.”
Seamus went red and sputtered, “Oh, well -- I suppose it certainly wouldn’t hurt.”
“Of course not.” Nami latched onto his arm, leading him over to where the others were setting up for the night. “Robin was telling me that there was some sort of legendary treasure at the top of the mountain…”
They got a fire going in the center of the room. The flames crackled and popped, leaping high in the cavern and casting wild shadows onto the walls, mixing with the strange and wonderful colors of the fungi along the walls. The smoke seeped through cracks and crevices in the stone ceiling, a purposeful ventilation system that circulated the air and deposited any smoke outside of the mountain. They were deep enough that the howling wind outside was almost inaudible and it was warm , and Nami laughed as she knocked her mug of beer into Zoro’s. Everyone was grinning like fools, just happy to be here and together and alive. The conversations with Seamus certainly didn't hurt, either.
Within the giant mountain island of Skahto, there was a whole bustling country, complete with entire districts that were almost like their own cities. Robin had made a sly comment about cave-ins, but to be fair, that was a valid concern. There were seven other districts, Seamus told them. As such, there were seven other governors.
“Is the weather around here always this bad?” Franky asked. “It kinda reminded me of Wano, but this is super worse.”
“Yes,” Seamus replied, looking down into his lap.
“I know what we read on the way here, but it’s hard to imagine so many people living in a place that’s so inhospitable.” Robin murmured.
“The economy suffers heavily, make no mistake.” Seamus replied. “We do our best with what we have been given, husbanding foods in designated greenhouse caverns and cattle caverns. As a result, we are able to provide almost everyone with almost as much as they need to live. But…” The elderly Alpha sighed. “We aren’t doing so well, lately. We are starting to starve. The cattle caves have always been experimental, and the animals aren’t exactly thriving inside the mountain. But we have to keep trying, or our people will die.”
The crew nodded along sympathetically. It was true that they'd all seen terrible things, but it was still gut-wrenching to see something like this happen right in front of their eyes.
“Luffy,” Usopp called, “Why don’t we see if we can do something?”
Sanji lit a cigarette, finally sitting down by the fire. “I can’t stand knowing that an entire island is starving.” He hissed.
“Well, we have someone who knows a hell of a lot about climatology and meteorology on our ship.” Franky mentioned, winking at Nami.
The navigator blushed, but she nodded. “I don’t really know what we could do, though… Is there a way we could find out more about the situation?”
Seamus nodded emphatically before frowning. “But you don’t even know us… You’d be willing to help?”
“No,” Nami quickly corrected, “We’re willing to learn more.”
“Maybe we could at least hunt some food for you guys,” Luffy tilted his head, scrunching his face up as if he were thinking particularly hard.
“Don’t hurt yourself, Luff.” Zoro grumbled.
“It’s not that simple.” Seamus murmured. “But, I will call a council of the governors two days from now. We can talk about it more then, if you are amenable?”
Nami smirked. “So hypothetically, if we were to help… You would give us that legendary treasure, correct?”
The governor turned to her with a tired look. “We would give you what we can, of course. We have plenty of goods that we are unable to sell, and plenty of natural resources. But we’re not sure this treasure you speak of exists.”
Nami stuck her lower lip out in a pout. She didn’t believe that for a second.
“But… you’ll try to help?”
“If that’s what our captain wants,” Nami grumbled.
And then she was knocked over by Seamus’s embrace. Shouts and snarls filled the cavern, and Franky gently pulled Seamus off of their navigator. To everyone’s shock, he was crying.
“Thank you,” He sobbed, “Thank you for being willing to listen to us.”
Usopp helped Nami up, discreetly scenting her in the process, and walked her straight over to sit between Robin and Zoro. They also scented her as well. It was known that it was impolite to scent anyone outside of one’s pack, especially an Alpha scenting an omega. She knew she'd be dealing with scenting all night long, now, thanks to Seamus.
The navigator thought she must have missed another of Brook’s ridiculous “skull jokes,” with the way everyone was carrying on all of a sudden. Even though he was a skeleton, Nami could just tell that Brook looked gleeful. She felt warm and full, and she closed her eyes with a hum, taking in the comforting smell of her nakama , her pack . Of course they’d gone back to normal almost right away. That was just how they were. It was embarrassing as hell the way they all felt the need to keep scenting her, but she couldn't be too mad. She loved them. They didn’t consciously think about anyone being weaker or stronger than anyone else. They all had their strengths and weaknesses, and they all fit wonderfully together because of that. But, well, instinct was instinct. And instinctively, omegas were to be protected.
That being said, she loved their scents, and loved being embraced by those scents. They were her home.
Luffy, an omega who broke the mold as their captain (and in literally every other possible way), always had a clean, fresh but heavy smell that brought to mind summer nights on the sea with the sometimes oppressively sharp smell of saltwater, and also a hint of fresh cut grass. But there was always a tinge of something she couldn’t place, something sharp and tangy, like rotten fruit -- but it wasn’t bad like rotten fruit, not really. She didn’t usually dwell on it, simply chalking it up to him being Luffy. Usopp, a beta, smelled clean, too. He smelled like loamy soil and freshly chopped wood, and always, no matter his mood, an undercurrent of gunpowder. Sanji always smelled of cigarettes, so it was hard to peg the Alpha’s scent until he’d been with them a while. He was all burnt sugar and spice, a hint of leather and salty sea air.
There was something oppressive about his scent, too. Something that almost stank, in Nami’s opinion, something that smelled sour and black. The scent only got stronger when he was distressed in any way, like when Usopp had left the crew and shortly after, Robin. It’s something that made Nami curious, and a bit suspicious. She’d asked Chopper about it, but their doctor wasn’t human, and therefore unable to understand what she was noticing about his scent. She even went to Robin about it. Robin, ever the observant woman, knew exactly what Nami meant. But she assured the omega that Sanji had no ill intent toward the crew. Nami knew this already -- she trusted their chef implicitly, as creepy as he could be at times. Robin reminded her that they all had a past, and that maybe Sanji’s past affected him more than he let on. She reasoned that he may struggle with mental illness, which would explain that scent constantly hanging over him. Depression, or anxiety, or both, she reasoned, since it only worsened in times of great stress. It made sense to Nami. They all found out soon enough that his past had, in fact, been dark and violent, and it followed that this lingered in his scent.
Robin was a beta. She always smelled like fresh coffee and lavender, old papers, and a subtle hint of musk. And now, she had Franky’s smell on her as well. Nami closed her eyes, taking in the scent. She loved being around the older woman. She was so wise even though she was still quite young. She’d been through so much, though, just like the rest of them. Those experiences had bought her wisdom at a dear price, and the ability to very carefully read people and situations just as well as the books she was so fond of. The only thing was, she used her sharp observation to snoop. The navigator was pretty sure that Robin knew about her feelings for Zoro before she knew of them.
De Nile was a deep, dark, and rough river.
Brook was… well, Brook. He was a literal skeleton, though she figured his clothes must hold scents well since he always smelled of strong tea and wood.
And Franky was a beta. She knew this only because it bothered Sanji that he could never sniff out the cyborg’s secondary gender. It was rude to ask, but Nami had never claimed to be particularly polite. It bothered Sanji, and if Sanji was bothered about something, he wasn’t focused and lashed out at their swordsman way more than normal, which in turn pissed Zoro off, in turn terrifying the rest of the crew. It was a vicious cycle. So Nami asked Franky, and it turned out that he was a beta. It was hard to tell before they were all… separated, but now that Franky was more machine than man, it was even more difficult. But, no matter. She had informed an embarrassed and perhaps even scandalized Sanji about Franky’s secondary gender, and that was that.
Chopper was literally a reindeer. But he smelled lovely, sweet and always clean, and Nami would eviscerate anyone who thought otherwise.
Jinbei on the other hand, might be a fishman. But he was also an Alpha. He smelled of sea and clean sand, and a strong hint of cinnamon and black pepper. He was new in their pack, but as he was an older Alpha and confident in both Luffy and his own abilities, he took no part in Zoro and Sanji’s regular pissing contests. Instead, he was a rock for all of them, even Nami. He was a place to go for comfort and safety, and he never overstepped in a way that might threaten the cook or the swordsman.
But Zoro…
The swordsman’s smell had plagued her since the beginning. She could drown in that smell and die happily. They all scented each other every so often, of course, and Zoro most often since he was the pack Alpha. Everyone smelled like family, like home, even Sanji who always smelled so off to Nami. The cook was pack, too -- he was nakama, and his scent was familiar and safe. But Zoro was a different story. Yes, he smelled safe and warm and like pack just like everyone else, but it was different. This Alpha’s scent stood out to Nami in such stark clarity to the others that it was almost dizzying. He normally smelled of subtle sake and sharp metal, and a hint of something much more salient and dangerous. When he laughed she swore she could smell a blend of sandalwood, vanilla and clove, and when he bickered with Sanji and sparred with him she smelled steel, new leather and oakmoss. And when he fought, for real , it was blood. Metal, blood, and bright bergamot and anise.
The Alpha was never more breathtaking than when he was covered in the blood of their enemies with that wide, feral grin.
Fingers snapped in front of Nami’s face and she shrieked, sloshing her pint of beer.
“Earth to witch,” Zoro huffed, “Chopper’s tryna get your attention.”
She glanced at their little doctor and smiled indulgently. She tried to stand, and for a moment, everything was spinning -- okay, so she might be a little tipsy. What of it? After the day she’d had getting everyone safely to shore, she fucking deserved it.
“Nami, can I see you in private for a minute?” He wrung his hooves together, and Nami was confused at the nervous waver in his voice. Was something wrong?
She managed to walk in a perfectly straight line in the direction that Chopper was leading her. The doctor stopped after a moment, looking around worriedly, and then he gestured for Nami to bend down. Still confused, she got on her knees, and Chopper cupped his hooves to his mouth to whisper in her ear.
“I can’t buy ingredients for your suppressants here.” He whispered, obviously panicked. Nami sprung back away from him, understanding but not comprehending. “Nami,” Chopper was on the verge of tears. “You have a week until you run out… and -- and we’re gonna be here a while to wait for the log pose, and--”
The log pose wouldn’t reset for two weeks, but they’d probably be staying longer than that. Something was wrong with the island, and Nami could already sense that at the very least, Luffy was curious about it, even if she was sure he wasn’t interested in helping just yet. Sanji was suffering quietly, watching these people slowly starve simply due to their own unfortunate circumstances. None of them were quite sure what could be done about Skahto’s problems with the weather around the island, but Nami was sure that they could do something. She couldn’t bear to think about all of the innocent children that must be crying right then, going to bed hungry and not totally understanding why.
“Okay.” Nami replied numbly. She was registering the words, but they weren’t really sinking in. The sounds and smells of the small dinner-turned-party were sinking into the background, only to be replaced by a fuzzy static in her head. Black spots danced along the perimeter of her vision and she felt cool sweat well up all over her body.
“Okay.” She repeated weakly. “Luffy?”
She couldn’t see what Chopper was doing anymore. “You know his suppressants have a different makeup than yours… They wouldn’t work for you.”
Nami’s body stopped listening to her, and, as though she was outside of her own body, she blankly registered that she was listing to the side. She was dimly expecting to hit the ground, but she never did. Someone had caught her, and several people were surrounding her. They were making sounds, but she couldn’t hear them through what felt like cotton in her ears. She felt like she couldn’t control her body. She was begging herself to just pass out. Everything was spinning but she was still horribly aware.
A straw was pressed to her lips, and she gulped down the offered drink like a woman dying of thirst. Someone was helping her to sit up, and she could sort of hear again, though she couldn’t find the strength in herself to reply. She felt weak and heavy, drenched in sweat.
“Are you okay to sit up like this?”
Nami made a sound, and she hoped it sounded affirmative.
Someone sniffed around her neck. “I think she’s getting better.”
The voice was deep and coarse, and instinctively, she leaned in (as much as she could, as floppy and weak as she still felt) and scented the person.
It was Zoro. His scent was muddy, tinged with concern that she knew he’d never have shown outwardly. She hummed, and raised her arm with some difficulty to let it fall against his -- chest? She did this twice, weakly patting him in an instinctive attempt to comfort her pack.
He snorted softly, and she could smell a burst of sandalwood for a moment. She smiled, and someone gave her the straw again. It was then Nami realized that she had closed her eyes. She tried to open them, wanting to see who was witnessing her little episode. She needed to know who she’d be blackmailing to keep quiet.
Unfortunately, it was the whole entire crew. She closed her eyes again and groaned, terribly embarrassed.
She’d been leaning into the wall of the cavern, sandwiched between Robin and Zoro. Chopper was busy looking through the fat, overstuffed backpack of medical items he’d brought from the ship and Sanji was buzzing around, probably trying to find a more sugary drink to give Nami.
The rest of the crew looked on at her, Luffy sitting front and center until she met his eyes. He grinned, slapping his thighs in satisfaction before hopping to his feet.
“You okay now, Nami?” He asked with a grin.
The redhead wasn’t okay, not really. She remembered what had spurred on this… whatever it was, and wanted to throw up. She knew she’d have to tell him. He was their captain, and he needed to know when there was something going on with any of them. She owed it to him to be honest, at the very least.
“I will be.” She murmured weakly. “Give me a moment, Luffy. When I feel better I need to talk with both you and Chopper. In private.”
“Are you sick?” Usopp wondered, tilting his head curiously.
“No, not really. I’ll be fine, I swear.”
Satisfied, everyone slowly made their way back to the fire where they continued eating and drinking merrily. Everyone except for Robin and Zoro. Sanji came hurrying back with what seemed to be some kind of juice. He offered it to her with a flourish, but only the straw.
“Allow me to continue helping you, my sweet Nami-swan.”
Zoro growled in warning, and Sanji’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.
“Don’t growl at me you fucking gorilla!”
“She can do it herself, now. She’s not an invalid.” Zoro bit back, and Nami couldn’t help but grin.
“I do feel better, Sanji. Don’t worry about me, okay?” She took the drink and sipped at it. She made a mental note to ask what it was. She thought it might be unique to the island, the taste was so different from anything she’d ever had before.
Their chef looked at her a bit more seriously now, his flirtations gone for the time being. “That seemed really bad, whatever it was… You know that we’re all here for you, right? You don’t have to hide anything from us.”
Nami snorted. “What’s to hide? Now get out of my face unless you want me to bump up your interest.”
“Oh, Nami, I would let you push my interest as high as you’d like!”
“Good.” Nami grinned, her eyes flashing mischievously. “Because I just doubled it.”
Sanji twirled away, not looking put out in the least.
Robin shifted on her right, putting an arm around her. Zoro may have closed his eye, but she knew he was keeping an eye on her. She must have really shaken everyone.
“What happened?” Robin finally asked. She sounded very mildly curious, not pushing for an answer in the least. Robin was wonderful like that.
“Well… I didn’t really get to talk with Chopper about it much before I… Uh. Whatever happened.”
“It was a panic attack.” Zoro muttered without opening his eye.
She sputtered, “But I wasn’t hyperventilating or anything!”
“Hyperventilation isn’t exactly a cut and dry rule for a panic attack.” Robin murmured. “Many people have panic attacks without such a thing happening to them.”
Nami sat quietly, still sipping at her drink. Zoro’s scent radiated calm and security. It rolled over her in waves until she felt almost drunk on peace and tranquility.
“Mr. Swordsman, perhaps you could tone down your scent, just a bit. I believe it may be overwhelming our dear navigator.” Robin reached over Nami and tapped Zoro’s arm. She sounded like she was trying not to laugh.
“Huh?” Zoro’s head jerked upright, and he glanced at Nami. Her eyes were closed, and she knew she probably looked dead asleep. She grinned and hummed happily.
“Feels good.” She murmured. “Smells good. Safe. Comfy.”
This time, Robin did laugh, and the warm body to her left pulled away in one swift motion. Nami’s eyes opened and she exploded to her feet. “What?” She whimpered, now dizzy again. “What happened?” she asked stupidly, disoriented at having that hypnotic calm ripped away from her like that. She could still feel it, subtly drifting through the air but it was nothing like before. Part of her wanted to cry. So she scowled. This wasn’t like her at all. And she wasn’t even off of her suppressants, yet! She growled under her breath and kicked at the dust. Robin stood next to her, and when Nami looked around for Zoro, he was already gone.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Navigator.” Robin’s gentle hand rested on her shoulder. “I didn’t realize that saying something would chase him off like that.”
“No, no, it’s fine. He’s an idiot.” Nami brushed it off easily, but it bothered her a lot more than she was willing to let on.
She looked at Robin, who was frowning openly. Nami offered a weak smile. “Do you wanna go and talk to Chopper with me? I could do with some moral support.”
Chopper was hovering on the periphery, waiting until Nami was feeling well enough to continue. Nami knew he must feel so guilty, even though he had only told the truth. There were tears in his eyes as he trotted up to her.
“Nami, I’m so sorry!” He wailed. “I knew it would upset you, but--”
She knelt down to Chopper. “It’s okay, but calm down,” she could feel her face heating up as she spoke, “They’re staring at us!” She could feel the eyes of their crew on them. It was so embarrassing, but Nami knew she’d have to tell them anyway at some point.
Chopper sniffed, trying to gain control over his faculties before he replied, “I’m sorry.” He gave another sniff. “Are you ready to continue the conversation?”
Nami nodded. “I’d like Robin to be here while I hear the rest of it.”
Chopper nodded in return, immediately back in doctor mode. He began to pace in front of the two women. “It seems like omegas are fairly rare on this island. That’s why they don’t really have any suppressants for them, for the scent or heat or anything. I slipped out for a second to ask around, just the dockworkers and really anyone else I could find, but I haven’t been able to get in touch with any doctors or healers. But I have been told that there are designated heat rooms in the homes where an omega lives. And they go through their heat there with either their pack Alpha providing comfort and alleviating the pain as much as possible, or their partner. That being said… I was told that you’ll have to be very careful. Omegas on this island are not treated well.” Chopper sighed, defeated. “But regardless… they already have a big enough problem purchasing supplies and trading with other islands… Obtaining these ingredients just hasn’t been a priority because there aren’t enough omegas.”
Robin looked over to Nami meaningfully. She’d, of course, understood right away. “What do we need to do, Doctor?”
“Well…” Chopped rubbed a hoof under his chin. “For now, just keep taking the last of your suppressants as normal. It’ll need a few days to get out of your system, and then… Well, I think your next heat may be anywhere as soon as ten days, or as far off as two months. There’s no way to tell. Your body will be very off kilter, trying to adjust back to normal. So, all we can really do at this point is to hope for the best.”
Nami crossed her arms. She hated everything about this. She hadn’t experienced a heat in years, so her next one would be… hard, putting it lightly. She sighed with a deep scowl. She didn’t know what to do. She would be in agony…
“I’ve been on suppressants since I presented at thirteen…” She murmured. “I know it will be bad. But… how big is the risk to my body? Could I die?”
“Hmm…” Chopper looked down for a moment. “I don’t think so. I’d say based on all of the material I’ve read about suppressed heats and scent… Hmm… I’d say you have about a 75% percent chance at living through this. It doesn’t sound very high, but it’s a really good chance!” He was quick to add, “It’s not really as bad as it sounds. You’re strong and healthy, and you have all of us, and a reliable food and drink supply. I think you’ll be fine. You can take something from all of us to nest with, and you can even cuddle with Luffy if you think it would help.”
Nami pinched the bridge of her nose. She didn’t want to nest. She didn’t really want to cuddle with Luffy, either. She couldn’t imagine that his frenetic energy would be of any benefit during a heat. He might be an omega, but she didn’t really know if he understood what a "normal" omega needed. For heaven’s sake, his own mate was the damn Surgeon of Death. That creep might be an Alpha, but she couldn’t imagine them having a conventional heat together… She wasn’t even sure if they had spent a heat together. Nami would bet money that Luffy had no idea what she would need from him during a heat, as an omega comforting another omega. This was all just so ridiculous.
“I don’t want Luffy…” she muttered.
“I can’t imagine you’d want Sanji.” Robin replied with a grin.
The navigator laughed humorlessly. “As much as I adore that idiot, I don’t trust him to hold himself back.”
“He’d certainly try! You know he’s a gentleman to a fault.” Robin tittered politely behind her hand. “What about our swordsman?”
Nami outright scoffed. “Zoro?” She grinned, but even she could tell it probably seemed pained. “He’d be so irritated with me. And I’d never hear the end of it anytime I tried to charge him for anything. He’s an idiot, too, but he’s not afraid of using something like this as blackmail. I bet he would scold me the whole time for giving into my instincts or baser nature or whatever. ”
As much as she trusted Zoro to not do anything untoward while she was in such a vulnerable state, she was sure he’d use it to his advantage later on.
“Really?” Chopper looked up at her curiously. “I really don’t think Zoro would do anything like that. He’s not a gentleman like Sanji, but he’s a very honorable person.”
They were quiet for a moment. Nami sighed. She’d have to have her heat alone. She might as well start mentally preparing for that now.
“You know we need to tell the others, right?” Chopper asked. He wouldn’t if she didn’t want him to, but that kind of dishonesty was what broke packs apart. Nami had to at least let Luffy know.
“Yeah.” She sighed. “Let’s get this over with.”
“Now?” Robin looked at her, a bit surprised. “We can wait until tomorrow, if you’d like. Surely it wouldn’t hurt anything.”
“No, it wouldn’t, but if I think about it much longer I won’t be able to tell anyone.” Nami made her way over to the fire.
“Hey guys,” She waved to them, and Usopp shoved another mug of beer into her hand with a grin. “Before we turn in for the night, I have something you need to know.” Everyone’s eyes were on her, now. She shivered and took a swig of beer so she didn’t have to stare at everyone. Seamus appeared to have left for the evening, though, which was a small comfort. “My suppressants run out in a week, and there are no ingredients on this island to make more. There is a chance I will have a heat on this island.”
“It could be anywhere from ten days to two months from now.” Chopper repeated for the benefit of the rest of the crew. “We need to start preparing now. First, we need to find somewhere safe for Nami.”
“I will find you the most wonderful place one the island, Nami-swan!” Sanji cooed, but Nami immediately conked him on the head.
“Don’t forget that we’re heading to the capital district to meet with the rest of the council tomorrow! That’s our main focus.” Nami snapped. “We’ll travel most of the day tomorrow. If there’s time I might look around for a place, but if not, I’ll do it after we meet with the governors the following day.”
“Will you want company for your heat?” Brook asked. “I would be glad to join, even if I couldn’t help out much! Yohohohoho!”
Nami grit her teeth, but felt better when both Sanji and Zoro smacked him into the wall.
“That’s a good question, though, lil sis!” Franky crossed his arms and nodded to himself. “Whether or not you want a heat partner, you’ll still have to have someone with you to make sure you’re eating and drinking enough.”
Nami groaned. “I know… I know. Let’s just…” She pinched the bridge of her nose again. “Let’s just focus on finding a place?” She nearly whined. “I don’t want to think about anything beyond that just yet.”
“Hey! Why don’t you drag Zoro with you?” Usopp asked, “If you have a big scary Alpha with you while you’re looking for a heat room, people will know you mean business.”
“We’re pirates, Mr. Longnose.” Robin chuckled. “I think they already know that.”
“Yeah but they don’t all know that! They might think Nami is easy to take advantage of. What if they tell their friends and try to jump her while she’s in heat?”
Nami hated it, but Usopp had a point. They couldn’t blindly trust anyone on any island they went to. “Better safe than sorry, I guess.”
“What, I don’t get a say?” Zoro grumbled.
“Mr. Swordsman, are you saying you would be okay with it if Nami came to harm?” Robin asked with her ever present smile.
Zoro grumbled again but didn’t bother to argue.
“Glad to know you’re so happy to help.” Nami growled. Luffy laughed, the dumbass.
“Yow! I think it’s time we get to bed if we want an early start tomorrow.” Franky clapped his big metal hands together.
Sanji began kicking dirt over the fire as the rest of them began their preparations for bed. But the chef caught Zoro’s sleeve, though, and said something that Nami couldn’t hear. But as expected, she could tell it had started them bickering. She grinned. Those two were hopeless.
Nami stretched, pulling a futon out of the closet before grabbing a pillow and a blanket. Chopper was going to share with her, while Brook and Usopp shared another, and the rest had their own. Zoro set himself up closest to the door, Sanji off to the side, and Luffy towards the back of the room near to the kitchen from where he could throw more long ranged attacks. No one would be on watch that night, but as pirates, they knew that they could never fully rest easy, and were prepared to defend their pack, their nakama , by whatever means necessary.
However, that night, they all slept soundly and got their sorely needed rest for their journey the next day. Sesserin District was at the top of the mountain, and they had a long road ahead if they wanted to make it there in one day.